When we think of healthcare and preventive strategies to improve health outcomes, we usually think of habits and substances that directly impact physical health—things like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high-sugar diets, fast-foods and junk-foods, lack of exercise, exposure to the elements, poor ventilation, inadequate sleep, and poor hygiene. These are just some factors among many which negatively affect the health issues of Canadians of all ages. Poor lifestyle habits and food addictions definitely add to the cost burden of Canada’s healthcare system. It’s right for Canadians to be concerned about habits that reduce overall health; we desire to see our fellow Canadians enjoying long and healthy lives. Poor health increases our tax burden and—indirectly—the cost of all goods and services.

Canadians with shorter lifespans increase the cost of life insurance for all. Workers who spend more time on sick leave and disability either increase production costs for their employers or reduce the amount of service time available for customers and clients. Workers dragging themselves around with annoying colds and other communicable diseases are less productive and also expose their fellow workers and customers to increased risk of disease. And of course, all of us pay more for health care costs.

What has all this to do with pornography? Pornography, far from being a victimless crime, has many victims. Beyond the moral and societal implications, there are damaging health impacts and hard financial costs. What are those costs and how can they be measured? That’s the question being raised by Peace River-Westlock MP Arnold Viersen. Mr. Viersen has introduced Motion 47, calling on Parliament’s Standing Committee on Health to research the negative health impacts of the “online violent and degrading sexually explicit material," which is now available on the internet with little or no restriction. He notes that there has been no significant public study done on the impact of pornography on human health since 1985, long before the internet brought graphic images, sounds, and video content into the living rooms, bedrooms, offices, and classrooms of this nation.

What might such a study discover? What kinds of health impacts might be uncovered?

• Pornography impacts mental health and can result in aggression, depression, and suicide. Poor self-esteem, lack of confidence, poor judgment . . . guilt and shame plague not only those who become addicted to pornography but those who are drawn into its web as reluctant participants.

• Pornography can lead to physical damage through increased risk of violent rape, STDs, unplanned pregnancy, and abortion. By its very nature, pornography, especially involving violence, degrades women and girls and places them at greater risk in our communities. Women and girls subject to degradation and humiliation as pornographic subjects are often pressured and compromised into actions they deeply regret.

• Outside the narrow definition of “health," pornography incites passions which end in adultery, incest, and perversions of all sorts; in some cases this leads to divorce, costly and traumatic court appearances or jail time. Thus, the costs to society go beyond health costs. They include costs to the justice system, the social costs of divorce and family breakup and lost productivity for parents, and future lost productivity for the children of divorce who often suffer setbacks in their education.

What can we in the CHP do to fight back against the destructive influence of online violent pornography? An excellent place to start would be to support MP Viersen’s M-47 (read his press release here PDF). Print off a copy of his petition and get your friends and family to sign it and send the completed pages to Mr. Viersen so he can present them in Parliament. Educate yourself on the issue. Talk to your MP and encourage him or her to support M-47. Much damage has already been done. Our young people have suffered. Our healthcare and justice expenditures have soared due to out-of-control sexual behaviours and aggressive and demeaning attitudes towards women, spawned in part by pornography. It won’t be easy to control but we fail in our duty if we do not try. To support the Christian Heritage Party in our efforts to improve the physical, mental, moral, spiritual, and financial health of Canada through the restoration of biblical values in national legislation, visit us here.

Comment on this Communiqué